Boy,am I relieved.This morning at 6:15,I saw Daddy at the box,thought he just might be feeding Mom.I didn't want to check that early in case Mom might be laying another egg.Just now when I came home,I decided to check the box.Dad was in a nearby tree and when I opened the box,there was Mom sitting there all crouched down,nice and cozy.she never even moved.Needless to say,I closed the box quickly and left her alone.I was very relieved and excited.I have no idea if there are more than 3 eggs or not,just happy they are ok.Also on the way back to the house,I walked by a box that has been mounted on the side of the garage for a few years and has always gone unoccupied.My husband mentioned the other day that he saw a bird sticking his head out ,but was unsure what it was.As I walked by,I gently tapped and out came a white breasted nuthatch.How exciting,that is a first for me.Very cool.This box is difficult to open,so I will just have to leave it alone and enjoy.Glad to share some good news.....Jane

The one must have already fledged - like I said there were only the two dead ones in the box.... your thinking pesticides? I'd be surprised as I'm on 5 acres and the blues primarily hunted in our yard - which is absolutely pesticide free.... our neighbors to one side of us have no yard so no need for pesticides. Now our neighbors to the other side - which is through the woods, may have applied some, and then they are next to a farm - which also may have some applied. Anyway - it just seems weird - so close to them being ready to fledge. Any idea if they will do a third nest? Or are they done for the season here in MI?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a cat can not reach into a nest box, correct? Would it be killing them after they have fledged? I have a nesting question of my own. The bluebirds have done fairly well in my yard. I put up nest boxes last year and had one successful hatching of 3 babies and one unsuccessful hatching - the eggs were tossed out onto the ground. This year I had one nest formed with all 3 eggs tossed onto the ground. I suspected house sparrows and have since "tamed" them. The second nest was successful with 2 hatchlings fledged and flew away (I got to see it!). Now I have a 3rd nest with 4 eggs in it, but the mom and dad are nowhere to be found. The same thing happened with the second nest - for whatever reason the mom or dad do not sit on the nest or really spend much time at all around the nest until the eggs hatch, then they are very attentive. With the current nest, they have completely disappeared since the last egg was laid. I found one eggshell on the other side of my yard, but 4 are still in there. I believe they will hatch on their own because the weather is quite warm and the previous nest's eggs hatched with almost no roosting by the mom or dad. Is this behavior normal? I always thought the mom would sit on the eggs until they hatched? It has been about 2 weeks since the last egg was laid so they are probably going to hatch soon but if the parents don't show up is there anything I can do for the babies?

Bluebars, This is such a bitter-sweet story.I feel that you were blessed to have enjoyed her for 7 years.She chose your home to seek "Nirvana".You are SO lucky.This is her way of showing you her appreciation for your love for her. I had goose bumps when I looked at her picture.Even in her old age, she had such beautiful blue feathers and plenty of it.You must have taken such good care of her. Michelle